Finished Minoru.

For the past month or so I’ve been following along with Tasia at Sewaholic.net and sewing her fantastic Minoru jacket. The actual pattern was easy to follow without any really difficult steps. Of course, having the sewalong helped as Tasia walked us through everything.

Here’s my completed version.

And here’s a side view with a peek at the lining inside the side pockets.

One of my favourite parts about the jacket is the hidden hood. When you don’t need it, you can fold or roll the hood up, tuck it into the collar, and zip it away! Or, if it’s a bit chilly or you need some protection from the rain, unzip the collar and voila – a hood.

My absolutely favourite feature, however, is the wide collar. I wore my Minoru to go fabric shopping this morning (next up, the Renfrew top, also by Tasia!). It was a bit chilly while filling up the car with gas and walking to and from the store, so I kept my collar up and was good to go.

I made my Minoru out of a red polyester fabric, with a black and white polka dot lining. I didn’t attach the velcro to the inner pockets because I prefer to slip things in and out of the pocket without it. I added side pockets but otherwise didn’t make any adjustments to the jacket.

I really love it. It’s probably one of the most versatile items of clothing I’ve made. It’s now my go-to jacket as the weather is hovering between cold and warm. (The snow is almost gone here in Ottawa!) It’s light enough that I can wear it over a t-shirt on days when the sun is shining, but roomy enough with the elastic that I can put a sweater on underneath for chillier days. Who knows, maybe I’ll make another one for the fall in a heavier fabric. I’m very happy with it.